Tenant’s Secret Love

Chapter 18: A Deep Confession

The water in the fountain pool flowed down in a waterfall-like manner along the huge sculpture. The strange trio of Renee, Brittany and I looked at each other in the sound of the flowing water, and no one broke the silence for a while.

Finally, Brittany smiled and said to me, “It's been a long time, Lucas.”

“Hm,” I only responded with one word, for fear that if I said more, she would hear my trembling voice, and even more afraid that she would know that I was afraid.

Brittany just smiled at my reply and looked at Renee and asked, “Your girlfriend?”

I then realized that I was still holding Renee tightly, and I didn't bother to let her go. I thought to myself, if Renee really is my girlfriend, then that's enough to prove that I've been doing well over the years since I broke up with Brittany, at least I haven't died alone in loneliness.

I instinctively didn't want Brittany to see me living a life of destitution. Driven by this instinct, I actually nodded at Brittany and said, “Yes, she's my girlfriend.”

After saying that, I nervously looked at Renee next to me, afraid that she would expose me in front of everyone and turn me into a joke.

Renee frowned and remained silent, as if she was going to give me a break, but also as if she was reluctant to give up this great opportunity to get back at me.

I quickly said to Renee, “Don't you have urgent business to attend to at the company? Hurry up and go, I'll explain to my friends later, they'll understand.”

Renee struggled to shake off my hand, as if she couldn't wait to get out of there. Without saying a word, she turned and walked towards her car.

The red Q7 drove past me with a gust of wind, and it seemed that Renee's anger filled the air. It looked like I really had offended her.

The fountain was still gushing, but Brittany and I were the only ones left at the scene. I lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and pretended to be helpless as I complained, “Ugh, she's just busy, busy all day...”

“Really? Your girlfriend seems pretty nice.”

“What do you mean, she seems pretty nice? She is, of course, pretty nice!” I stood up straight and corrected Brittany's statement with dissatisfaction.

Brittany looked at me and said after a while, ”Lucas, you haven't changed.”

“What do you mean?”

Before Brittany could answer, the best man Robert waved at Brittany from afar and said that the emcee was looking for her, as there was a wedding part that required her cooperation.

Brittany nodded to Robert, then looked at me and asked, “The luncheon will start soon. Aren't you going in?”

“I'll finish my cigarette.”

As I watched Brittany's back as she walked away, I felt a sense of loss. I wanted to tell her that she was right, that I had indeed not changed, that I still longed for those days when we were together. I remembered that day when I couldn't meet her family and had to hide in the corner to see her off. I also remembered that she cried and used lipstick to write “Wait” on the car window. I watched from a distance until the words “Wait” completely blurred from my sight, until two lines of tears hung on my face that she would never see...

I was lost in the past, and even wanted to rush over to hug her and tell her that I still loved her, but just a moment ago, our conversation after our long reunion was so pale and tasteless that we couldn't even be considered ordinary friends. I knew that the love that rejoices in silence had grown farther and farther away from us...

If my heart were a city, at this moment, the whole city would be crying!

The wedding banquet began. Everyone took their seats in turn. My colleagues and I sat a little further back, while Brittany, Robert, the groom and bride sat at the front table.

I resisted the urge to look at Brittany, but I couldn't control myself. It was ridiculous. How could I suppress the urge to think about her when she was just a few feet away from me?

My colleagues around me were talking to me, and I was inattentively responding, but I was always looking for a reason in my heart to look over to Brittany. Throughout the whole time, Brittany didn't even give me a glance in return, just chatting with Robert from time to time. They basically had a few words and then shared a knowing smile. The two of them seemed to hit it off, and Brittany seemed to be in a good mood.

The emcee on stage encouraged Harlan and Natalie to interact intimately, and the people below the stage jeered. I remained silent, but kept drinking glass after glass.

In a trance, Robert came towards me with a glass of wine in his hand. I raised my glass again and gulped it down. By the time Robert reached me, I had already poured myself a full glass of wine and shouted at Robert, “Robert, my little brother, come here and get down on your knees.”

Robert laughed and said, ”Who knows who's going to get down on their knees first! How many are you going to get drunk this time?”

Robert and I call it “getting drunk” or “getting down”, a bad habit from our university days. Back then, we were young and reckless, and we would drink until the other person got drunk. At the end of the night, the only person still standing would be really cocky and call the person who got drunk their “grandson”. During those four years of university, I got drunk, Harlan got drunk, and naturally Robert got drunk too. So the three of us took turns being the “grandson” for four years, but we never admitted that the other two were “grandfathers”!

In fact, since entering society, I have stopped drinking like an i***t like I did in college, but today, whether it's Robert or anyone else, as long as they raise a glass with me, I will drink with them, no matter what kind of wine it is or how many glasses they want to drink. I will drink with them because I am happy for Harlan and Natalie and I feel sad for myself. With so many emotions, maybe wine is the best antidote for me.

I switched to a tall glass of a larger size, poured a glass of white wine almost full, and said to Robert, “As before, one glass each. If you can't drink anymore, get down on the ground and pretend to be dead quickly. Don't beg for mercy or explain.”

Everyone was amused by my words and burst into laughter, thinking that we were just joking. But I didn't blink, and really lifted the glass and gulped down the full glass of white wine in two sips, then indicated that I had finished by tipping the glass downwards.

Amidst a burst of gasps, everyone's attention shifted from Harlan and Natalie to Robert and me. Even Brittany looked over.

“Lucas, it's been years since you graduated, but you're still so full of life. I'll definitely drink this wine, because I'm really happy today,” he said, and then he drained the glass in one gulp, before looking over at Brittany.

I noticed this detail, and a chord in my heart was suddenly pulled. I understood who Robert was referring to when he said he was happy.

In college, he and I courted Brittany together, but Brittany chose me, and he and Brittany became like brother and sister, still taking care of each other. Of course, at the time, this seemed like a relief, but now Brittany and I have broken up, and Brittany has already returned to her home country. If Brittany is still single, then he can legitimately court Brittany again.

I remained silent, but Robert poured a full glass of white wine and said to me, “Lucas, my friend, do me a favor and let's have another drink.”

I nodded and poured another glass of white wine, ready to drink it in one go, but Robert held my glass and said, ”I'll drink this one first.”

Robert finished the glass of white wine in one gulp, then placed the glass on the table and walked over to Brittany.

Brittany reproached Robert in a concerned tone, “You should drink less alcohol. Are you afraid of harming your health?”

“I want to tell you something from the bottom of my heart while drinking this wine!” Robert said, tilted his head, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then borrowed the microphone from the emcee, and looked at Brittany as she entered a state of deep affection.

I suddenly had a hunch that the next scene that would unfold would be enough to rip me apart!

...

The whole audience fell silent. At that moment, Robert's expression was full of sincerity, gentle but also emotional. He held Brittany's hand tightly and gazed at her for a long time, saying, “Today is a day full of joy, and it's also a day I've been looking forward to for a long time... Brittany, I have loved you for 5 years, and I have never changed. Even when you were with Lucas, I never stopped loving you... At one time, I thought Lucas would bring you happiness, so I chose to silently I chose to silently wish you both well. But as it turned out, your relationship was a failure. I won't judge your love, after all, love is free, and it's pointless to dwell on the past. Now that you're single, I hope you can be my girlfriend. I'm really willing to do anything for you, even if you plan to go back to the United States, I'm willing to go abroad with you. In short, I will be with you no matter where you go, just like the time I went to the United States to be with you two years ago! I'll make you happy and give you happiness!”

My heart felt like it was going to burst with pain. Robert's words reminded me of something: it was a month after I broke up with Brittany. Robert did go abroad for a while, but at the time he didn't tell us which country he went to. Now I can confirm that he went to the United States to accompany the lovelorn Brittany. It turns out that he has been in contact with Brittany all these years.

Everyone was waiting to see if Brittany would agree to marry Robert, but at that moment I completely understood that Brittany had loved a feeling in college, but after graduation she loved a marriage of equals.

In every way, Robert and Brittany were the perfect match...I thought: maybe I already knew the answer Brittany was about to give Xiang Chen.

In the pain of the tear, I seemed to see again the words “Wait...” that she had written with lipstick on the car window as she cried when I saw her off that day.